LSU football finished regular season play with one of the top-rated passing defenses in the Southeastern Conference, and junior cornerback Tre’Davious White said fans can expect the same shutdown secondary next year.
But it won’t contain the names that held opponents to 162.3 passing yards per game with an SEC-best 50.4 completion percentage during the 2014 regular season.
The Tigers lost senior leader and two-year starter safety Ronald Martin to graduation and junior cornerback Jalen Collins to the NFL Draft. Most teams would suffer with the loss of two high-caliber players, but sophomore cornerback Ed Paris said the secondary won’t miss a beat.
“We are still going to be the same DBU [Defensive Back University],” Paris said. “It’s just different cats. Different people bring different things to the table. We are still going to do us.”
Senior safety Jalen Mills and sophomore safety Jamal Adams have most of the first-team safety repetitions this spring, while junior safety Rickey Jefferson is rotating in with the first team.
“We have a lot of safeties making plays,” said senior linebacker Lamar Louis. “Rickey Jefferson is coming in making a lot of plays, which he did last year. We are pretty deep at that spot. Everybody is rolling. You might have a different person show out everyday, but for the most part its Jalen and Jamal.”
White, a two-year starter, is expected to be the No. 1 corner. But the other starting cornerback spot is open, and Louis said Paris has led a three-man competition for it.
Paris, a former four-star talent and the No. 4 safety in the class of 2014, converted to cornerback because of the surplus at safety. White said he sees Paris improving his technique as a cornerback every day.
“[Paris] is looking real good,” Louis said. “He has definitely turned it up this spring. He had a good freshman spring, but this spring he has turned it up even more.”
Teammates have been raving about sophomore cornerback Russell Gage, who spent last year on the squad team. Gage said sitting out during the season helped him learn the playbook, and he is itching to get back on the field after sitting out for the first time in his career.
Gage is making the most of his opportunity this season, jumping in the battle for the starting job with a strong work ethic in practice coupled with a shutout performance in the first scrimmage.
“I was pretty shut down in the first scrimmage,” Gage said. “It helped a lot having sat out last year. I learned a lot. [Paris and I] both said this is our year. We have to step into that role of making plays.”
While Paris and Gage are making an impression in their second seasons, freshman cornerback Kevin Toliver II is impressing his teammates and coaches during his first spring. Toliver, once considered the No. 1 recruit in the nation, is inching toward the starting spot after just two scrimmages.
Toliver recorded an interception in the first scrimmage and is improving every practice as White and defensive backs coach Corey Raymond help improve his technique. White said Toliver still has a lot to improve on, but the 6-foot-2-inch 192 pounder has all the intangibles of a starting cornerback on the best secondary in the SEC.
“He’s a monster,” White said. “He’s a competitive guy that is very physical at the line of scrimmage. He’s a huge guy that is willing to learn and willing to come in and accept his role. He is going to play a ton of football for us this year, and we are going to expect big things from him.”
You can reach Jacob Hamilton on Twitter @jhamilton_TDR.